United, as it’s known to its many Jewish regulars, is the oldest dairy restaurant in the city. Timeless and always welcoming, the diner bustles with old friends bumping into each other or hobnobbing over the endless dairy breakfast. Daily soups are legendary, especially the dill-infused green pea—so smooth you’d think it’s made with cream (it isn’t). Bagel toppings include a finely chopped herring salad and cream cheese spread on fluffy onion buns or giant twister bagels. A fillet of pickled herring brings fireworks to the mouth, the sweetness of the fish enlivened by pickling spices, vinegar and the richest sour cream in town. Lox and eggs come salty and scrambled, piled loosely with onions and sided with fries. Though a bit watery, it all tastes like a messy, caramelized, fishy wonder. Fat, butter-crisped cheese blintzes come wrapped around farmer’s cheese and straddle the line between sweet and savoury (with the aid of applesauce and cream cheese). Classic, surly service and a parking lot that’s best known as a slow-motion demolition derby only add to the charm.